Bear is f loored by bee
Allergic star stung as he films TV adventure show on Pacific isle... and goes straight into life-threatening shock
BEAR Grylls suffered a lifethreatening allergic reaction after being stung on a remote tropical isle while filming his new TV show.
The adventurer, 45, has a serious allergy to bee stings and went into anaphylactic shock on the Pacific island.
Pictures of the star show his face severely swollen as he eyes began to close up.
The explorer had tried to soldier on while filming his series Treasure Island, but he was soon close to collapse and medics rushed in. The team administered an EpiPen, saving his life, after he lost consciousness.
One of the show’s contenders, brain surgeon Mano Shanmuganathan, said: ‘The irony of Bear the survivalist being stung, having the potential of an allergic reaction, and needing to be treated with an EpiPen, was a bizarre moment. That was crazy.’
The former SAS soldier seems not to have learnt to stay away from bees, having suffered his first serious run-in with the insects in 2008.
Shooting his series Born Survivor, he smoked out a beehive to steal honey in Baja California on the US-Mexico border. A resulting sting caused his eyes to swell. It is not the first time that Grylls has been in a potentially fatal situation.
In 1996, he broke his back in a freefall parachuting accident in southern his parachute, a small Africa. tear, the When causing canopy opening him suffered to spiral rapidly towards the ground. He broke his back in three places and spent 18 months in rehab.
‘It was a dark time for me’, he admitted. ‘I leant a lot on my family, friends and my Christian faith and slowly I began to get strong again. ‘Sometimes it takes a knock in life to make you realise what you really value. I left that hospital with a fire inside to live life boldly and with gratitude. I had been given a second chance and that doesn’t always happen.’ Grylls’ new show will air on Channel 4 from September 8 and features a member of the extended Royal Family.
Lord Ivar Mountbatten, a cousin of the Queen, has agreed to take part in the series, which sees the contestants compete for a £100,000 prize.
‘I applied to this show in a moment of madness and, unbelievably, I got accepted,’ Lord Ivar said. ‘They cleverly changed the format this season and introduced money for us to find, thus adding to the drama.’
Lord Ivar, 56, is the Queen’s third cousin once removed – and a cousin of Prince Philip. Last year he became the first member of the extended Royal Family to have a same-sex wedding.
The programme, narrated by Chief Scout Grylls, involved participants filming themselves as they tried to survive. After some basic training, they were left alone on the island with only the clothes they were wearing and some basic tools.